Daly City mother charged with manslaughter

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, April 5, 2001

A Daly City woman was charged today in Redwood City Municipal Court with involuntary manslaughter and endangering a child in connection with the drowning of her six-month old daughter.

Ping Du, 36, was arraigned in court this afternoon in Redwood City with the assistance of a Mandarin interpreter, and is scheduled to enter a plea next Thursday, April 12.

The small, round-faced woman listened intently as her interpreter translated the charges today. When Superior Court Judge James Ellis asked if she understood, Du asked first, "That means I didn't take good care of my daughter?"

After an attempt at clarification, the judge asked again if she understood the charges. Du said, "That means my daughter's death is directly related to me?"

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When Ellis concurred, Du indicated that she understood. Du was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of homicide after officers were called to her family's apartment at 35 Poncetta Drive on a report of an infant not breathing. They found the girl, Jiawen Yang, dead and "cold to the touch," according to Daly City Sgt. Donald Griggs. The officers concluded the child had been dead for some time prior to the 911 call, which was made by her 10-year-old brother.

In subsequent interviews with police, Du allegedly implicated herself in the child's death.

Bail was set today at $50,000, and an attorney was appointed to the case by the court. Prosecutor Susan Etezadi requested that Du surrender her passport, indicating that she believed Du to be a Chinese citizen, but Du said via her interpreter and attorney that she is, in fact, a Canadian citizen.

Etezadi said she had begun working to contact the Chinese embassy regarding Du's arrest, but would instead contact the Canadian embassy if Du's citizenship could be verified.